Wally Ely: Rev. Keller learned the value of community in Allentown

When the Rev. Dr. William C. Schaeffer left St. John's Lutheran Church in Allentown in 1953, congregation members and community leaders wondered how the church could ever replace him. They only had to wait for one meeting with the Rev. Dr. Arnold F. Keller to find their new pastor.

With the death last month of Rev. Keller at age 88 in Vero Beach, Fla., it's worth recalling the many significant contributions he made in Allentown that can be found in agencies like Meals on Wheels and the Lehigh County Conference of Churches.

When he left Allentown for a new role in Washington, D.C., in 1967, The Morning Call published an editorial that read in part: "A pulpit within earshot of the chambers of municipal government is one for a man courageous enough to say what needs to be said in bringing the solutions offered by the Scriptures to the problems of this era. Dr. Keller used his gifts fearlessly and effectively to challenge and influence both his own people and the community."

While writing the 1980 publication of the history of St. John's, Nelvin Vos shared an anecdote relating to Rev. Keller's call to the Allentown church in 1953. G. Edward Leh and Oscar Mahler, who were on the call committee, went to Harrisburg to meet Rev. Keller. The two agreed beforehand that if either approved of the candidate, he was to nudge the other under the table. To their great surprise, they learned their candidate was only 29 years old and saw he was wearing a bow tie. Within minutes, the two St. John's members were nudging each other repeatedly under the table.

Pastor Keller told me years ago that his first visit to the cathedral church building at 37 S. Fifth St. in Allentown was almost his last. He explained that the grandeur of the building was beyond anything he had expected; after standing in the St. John's pulpit for the first time, he was terrified and almost ready to turn down the call to St. John's due to the overwhelming size and beauty of the structure.

He and I had one disagreement. After my graduation from high school in 1954, he took me aside and firmly lectured me that I was a good candidate to take up a career in the ministry. I decided against that suggestion, to his disappointment.

Pastor Keller was a strong advocate for the youth of the congregation. He backed the activities of the Luther League members, and regularly supported sports teams sponsored by the church by attending their games.

During his 14 years with the church, St. John's expanded its influence on the community and the denomination. The church building was completed during Pastor Keller's tenure, through the addition of the west wing and the spire. The parish building also was completely renovated.

His dedication to the church and community revealed itself in many ways. In addition to membership on many synodical committees of the Lutheran Church in America, he is a member of the founding board of the Muhlenberg Medical Center, which is now Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg. He served many years on the board of trustees of Muhlenberg College, which awarded him an honorary doctor of divinity degree in 1964.

His fingerprints may be found on the earliest documents relating to numerous community endeavors. He was chairman of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Urban Renewal and was instrumental in organizing the Allentown Fair Housing Committee. He was involved in the creation of the Greater Allentown Council of Churches, which later became Lehigh County Conference of Churches, and the Allentown Area Lutheran Parish. He touched the early days of Meals on Wheels, the Ecumenical Food Bank, and Head Start.

According to the St. John's Spire newsletter, in his obituary Dr. Keller was quoted as having said that he "learned the 'value of community' during his years as pastor of Allentown's St. John's Lutheran Church, a downtown congregation. We had people from just about every walk of life in that small urban setting and we tried to develop a ministry that reflected the needs of the community."

Wally Ely of Allentown is a retired bank marketing and research officer. He produces video segments and specials for RCN-TV and has written several books, including "Dorney Park" and "Auto-Train" for Arcadia Publishing.